Ask the Expert: Beat the Holiday Bulge

The holiday season can bring a lot of joy —along with unwanted pounds. Don’t catch the holiday bulge this year. Holidays are upon us—as well as cookies, pastries, baked goods, and sweets. It’s almost impossible to escape the holiday pounds. Here are some simple tips to dodge what feels like the inevitable.

Instead of filling the kitchen with baked goods, try decorating with a colorful fruitbasket display. Apples, oranges, kiwi’s, berries and such are all so sweet and fat free! You will feel a lot less guilty grabbing and snacking on these throughout the day and week than sneaking cookie after cookie. Eating healthy leads to other healthy actions such as taking walks, joining a few group classes or simply putting in a workout video after work and doing some physical activity. Change one habit to a “healthyhabit” and it see it snowball effect—no pun intended!

And don’t forget the inevitable holiday parties. We all love to gather and celebrate this time of year. We also want to look amazing. So starting off with our healthyfruit instead of cookie snacking will help tremendously, as well as our healthy addition of workouts. Another great idea is to fill up on some fruits and salad before you hit the holiday party. This way your stomach is already fed and satisfied leaving you less likely to delve into the high-fat, high-calorie hordevors and snacks. Also make it a goal to hit the gym or take a class the following day to burn those extra calories you may have taken in. Set yourself up for success, not failure.